Janet Yellen: US Treasury is in danger of running out of cash in October September 9, 2021 Janet Yellen has warned the US Treasury is in danger of running out of cash in October unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, as the government walks on a tight rope to avoid a possible US default. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers yesterday, the Treasury secretary said a “specific [...]
Boris Johnson: ‘Concerning’ number of unvaccinated Covid patients in hospital September 8, 2021 The Prime Minister has said he is concerned by the number of unvaccinated people being hospitalised with coronavirus. Three quarters of those hospitalised had not had a Covid jab, Boris Johnson told the BBC, in an interview at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. Johnson’s message to the unvaccinated was “come on now,” as he urged people [...]
Government wins vote on National Insurance hike September 8, 2021 The Prime Minister has won a vote to raise National Insurance for workers and employers to fund NHS and social care costs. The government won the vote by 319 to 248 votes after Boris Johnson said the 1.25 percentage point increase would raise £12bn a year. Opposition MPs criticised the government for breaking a manifesto [...]
AI-driven pharmatech firm agrees $70m partnership with Gates foundation September 8, 2021 AI-driven drug company Exscientia has agreed a $70m partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop virus treatments. The Oxford-based company and non-profit foundation will work on coronaviruses at first before expanding to develop therapeutics for influenza and Nipah virus. The partnership will develop small molecule therapeutics that are less susceptible to variants. [...]
WHO boss: Wealthy nations should pause booster Covid jab rollout until 2022 September 8, 2021 The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on wealthy cations with plentiful Covid jab supplies to delay booster shots until the end of the year. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hit back at claims vaccine supplies were high enough to allow for both booster jabs and vaccinations in countries facing shortages. “I [...]
Russia blamed by German foreign ministry for parliament cyber attack September 6, 2021 Russia is responsible for a cyber attack on Germany parliament, a spokesperson for the country’s foreign ministry has said today. The attacks come ahead of Germany’s parliamentary election on 26 September, which will see chancellor Angela Merkel depart the helm, and could have prompted the string of violations. The spokesperson, Andrea Sasse, added that a [...]
Merkel ‘deeply shocked’: Germany’s new ambassador to China dies suddenly September 6, 2021 Diplomatic circles across China and the wider APAC region are in shock as Germany’s brand new ambassador to China has suddenly died at the age of 54, the German foreign ministry said this morning. The ministry announced Jan Hecker’s “sudden death” in a short statement in the early hours of today. It did not give [...]
Leaked messages: Boris Johnson trying to cut Nicola Sturgeon out of Cop26 summit September 5, 2021 No10 is seeking to cut Nicola Sturgeon out of the Cop26 summit to prevent her using it as “an advert for an independence campaign”, according to leaked messages. Advisers at No 10 and the Cabinet Office have been seeking to side-line the role of Scotland’s First Minster in the global gathering, The Independent reported. According [...]
London pollution: The worse the air you breathe, the worse your Covid symptoms September 4, 2021 Exposure to air pollution increases the risk of more severe coronavirus symptoms and hospitalisation with the disease, according to a new report by Imperial College London researchers. In a review of the latest evidence available, the researchers found a strong link between a person’s exposure to air pollution before the pandemic and the worst cases [...]
Not going anywhere: Virgin Galactic flights grounded pending mishap probe September 3, 2021 The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has barred Virgin Galactic from flying its SpaceShipTwo until the agency approves its final mishap investigation report from its July flight. Watch the full report.